Homepage » Core Communities » Young Global Changers » Awards » 2023 YGC Recoupling Awards
On May 15-16, 2023 the 15 finalists were invited to attend the 2023 Global Solutions Summit in Berlin, where they presented their projects in front of an international jury. The three jury members – Mariana Heinrich (Director, Energy at WBCSD), Shukri Toefy (CEO Southfields) and Julia Pomares (Chief Advisor Government of the City of Buenos Aires) – evaluated the projects not only according to the extent to which they contribute to recoupling; they also looked for particularly novel, unique and original approaches that address specific issues that have been neglected so far. The awards ceremony was opened by Ole Spies (YGC Program Lead) and moderated by the Declan Curry. Special guests were the last years YGC Recoupling Award winner Mathias Charles Yabe (Co-Founder and CEO of AkoFresh) and Dennis Snower (President, Global Solutions Initiative). The jury selected a winner as well as a 2nd and 3rd prize alongside two special scale-up Awards.
The finalists of the 2023 YGC Recoupling Awards had the chance briefly meet the Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz during the Global Solutions Summit 2023 on May 15 in Berlin. One finalist, Oluwadamilola from Nigeria, asked him about how to better support youth in Africa. Watch here.
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Meet the Winners!
Get to know the jury selected 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners of the 2023 Recoupling Awards: Chinwendu Nweke of Bridge Merchant: The Aladinn Project, Emily Glazebrook of Abundant Water: Timor-Leste, and Anurag Gupta of E[co]work.
Congratulations to these remarkable young global changemakers for their incredible and inspiring achievements!
1. Bridge Merchant: The Aladinn Project
Project which is based on a social impact model aiming to solve post-harvest wastage and promote food security. It offers an online application, through which smallholder farmers gain access to local and international markets by connecting farmers with drivers and agents.
2. Abundant Water: Timor-Leste
Project which makes ceramic water filters available at low cost to rural communities. Training and supporting a network of local vendors who sell filters at a low price but still get a good commission. Resulting in a financial incentive to grow their own micro-business while creating value through e.g. significant health improvements.
3. E[co]work
Project fighting the increasing e-waste problem in India and other countries by providing a co-working space for informal workers who recycle e-waste. The workers have flexibel renting options for work units and storage spaces. In addition, they receive support with business development through trainings and connects stakeholders through a digital platform.
1. Scale-Up Award: Khetipati Organics
Social enterprise which aims to provide financial stability to smallholder farmers by offering a stable price and a stable market. It minimizes post-harvest losses by heat and freeze drying perishable crops to add value to the locally sourced produce.
This Scale-Up Award is provided by our partner PwC. The prize includes a participation in the ‚Raise Programme‘ by PwC NextLevel. Raise will support the winner with their business plan, financial model and pitch deck. It will help them to gain access to the right investors and aims to increase the chances of raising institutional funding.
2. Scale-Up Award: OKB Hope Foundation: Heathcare at your Doorsteps
Most healthcate facilities in Ghana are located in urban areas leaving several milions of people in rural communities without primary healthcare. Project aims to increase people’s access to health care by providing “mini traveling hospitals”. These are vans equipped with diagnostics and medicine and healthcare providers supplying healthcare to rural areas.
This Scale-Up Award is provided by our partner PwC. The prize will consist of several hours of skilled volunteering work by professional staff members of PwC who will help the winner with a specific challenge that they are facing.
Meet the Other Finalists
Developers in Vogue: Accelerator Program
Project which aims to create a “vibrant community of African female tech innovators” by offering trainings and mentorship. Empowering women by teaching them how to code, creating sense of belonging, and help them to gain financial independence.
H.E.R. (Health. Equity. Respect.)
Non-profit organization which aims to increase menstrual hygiene accessibility by providing women with sustainable period products. The main focus is on hygiene education, healthcare, and employment. Thus, former inmates get employed to sew menstrual pads and organize gynecological workshops for low income women. Pads are made from upcycled waste by-products.
Boys Champions
Youth-led preventive non-profit organization teaching young men healthy masculinity. Mission to ending violence against women and girls in Nigeria by teaching boys how to treat women respectfully. Offering mentorship, sport, and a safe space for young boys.
El Avispero
Platform of more than 141 thousand activists, organizations, and collectives that mobilize to transform behaviors and attitudes, to influence public policies. Campainging and advocacy to fight desinformation. The goal is to increase trust in public institutions and in peace building in Colombia by increasing citizen engagement and plan public events, where experts speak about various topics.
Project Rebirth
Project training women from rural and underprivileged communities with low or no income in sewing and in recycling through free lessons. Supporting to secure funding to provide sewing machines, give trainings in business ethics, financial literacy, and encourage entrepreneurship.
Tierra Grata
Project aiming to unlock opportunities for rural remote communities in Colombia through access to social infrastructures, clean energy, and clean water. The clean energy produced by solar energy systems in public spaces and for households, increase productivity and well-being while water filters help to reduce diseases. Social intervention process which generates capacity building ensures sustainability of the project in the long term.
Khoj: The Great Indian Treasure Hunt
Initiative which offers three-month programs called “The Great Indian Treasure Hunt” for Indian youth aged 18 to 30, intending to allow them to explore the world of social change, environmental solutions, and team experiences. The goal is to encourage them to think “outside the box” by volunteering at different environmental and social organizations.
3 E's 4 Africa e.V.
African diaspora organization which supports and accompanies young African undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students at African universities. Adressing the challenges of the predominantly negative representation of Africa, the corresponding loss of labour in Africa and the results of the climate change in Africa. Empowering of African students to initiate sustainable research projects.
Kimuli Collections
Fashion start-up employing people with disabilities. By using upcycling plastic waste and sew it together with African textiles awarness for plastic waste as well as for people with disabilites is rising. Turining plastic polythene into sustainable garments and accessories.
Student Think Tank for Europe-Asia Relations
Think Tank aiming to strengthen relations and deepen cultural ties between the billions of people living across Europe and Asia. Empowering youth by increasing solidarity among young people as well as connect policymakers and influencers in conferences. The goal is to promote the values and interests of Eurasian young people across the three pillars: policy, culture, and capacity building.
Meet the Other YGC of 2023
Learn more about the remaining “recoupling projects” of 2023. Scroll through the list below and learn about how each project drives change in a particular way. All candidates below have officially been named “2023 Young Global Changer” alongside the 15 finalists.
climate &
environment
circular economy
agriculture
economic
empowerment
diversity &
inclusion
technology
civic
engagement
health
education &
skills
Youth for Water: Intergenerational Dialogue and Capacity Development
Platform connects water initiatives targeting water problems. It is promoting sustainable development at grassroot level by identifying indigenous innovations in the water sector. The platform provides connection with mentors and resources to ensure quality partnerships.
Eco Youth Jordan
Environmental community group in Jordan led by women. The goal is to spread environmental education specifically in rural areas. Bringing together people of all ages through workshops, social media, and a young leadership program, women get a voice in the fields of agriculture and water.
IntreVecini
Project which aims to regenerate the community spirit in urban areas in Romania, creating offline micro-communities in order to develop sustainable local hubs. Installing photovoltaic panels on buildings as well as sustainability-centered activites like workshops in beekeeping to build trust.
Sustain the World: RISE 2030 Project
RISE2030 (Renewable Innovation for Sustainability and Empowerment 2030) empowers women, youth, and refugees by creating green job opportunities in the sustainability sectors for underserved community members. The project aims at empowering stakeholders in the water-energy-waste and food nexus by integrating the circular economy approach that considers the linkages between these sectors to achieve and sustain various social, economic, and environmental goals.
GEJJA Women Foundation: Safe Girl Reusable Pads
Initiative aims to empower marginalized women and girls to become economically independent, strong, and self-determined leaders of change. In their project "Safe Girl Reusable Pads" girls and women in rural and disadvantaged communities in Uganda get provided with reusable menstrual kits and enabled to produce those products.
LightEd
Project offering sustainable solutions for eliminating energy poverty with solar panels and battery installation. The lighting solutions are made from recycling electronic waste and local materials and are provided to students, rural families, small business owners, and refugees.
CAIN Educational Resource Center
A unique multi-faceted educational project designed to empower disadvantaged Nigerian children and youths with quality education and skills to break from poverty and become globally competitive. Our educational resource center is an after-school environment that provides a conducive library for study, tutorials in key subjects, career enrichment programs, skills development programs, and so much more at no cost to students.
Data for Resilient Spaces
Project which aims to "democratize information" through the power of data. It collects public data from open sources platforms, web pages, and news portals and presents this information in visualizations and interactive maps regarding social, economic, and environmental issues. Including an informative digital tool to identify which public spaces in Peru need greater vigilance and actions to prevent citizen insecurity.
Lapor Yuk! App and Sexdugram
Online application offering reporting mechanism for sexual violence against children. The app helps to report their cases and provides public assistance to file their reports. In addition, it is connected to a social media page on Instagram where educational content about sexual health and rights is distributed.
AREAi: FastTrack
Foundational skills development program designed to enable out-of-school refugee children to acquire literacy and numeracy skills. "Technology-enabled solution", combining three learning tracks: talking book and pen, the Teaching-at-the-Right-Level methodology, and a bilingual instruction model. Thus, children get prepared to live an empowered and economically productive life.
Beach Collective
Blue circular economy platform powered by a smart currency which internalises the health of our planet and oceans into every transaction. It aims to build a global community of climate-concious consumers, planet-friendly brands and businesses and ocean conservation champions. Their social platform Beach Action creates financial and social rewards for anyone, anywhere who takes direct climate action.
Nairobi Legal Insights (NLI)
Project, which aims to build a more inclusive legal system by providing legal knowledge via live video sessions and legal awareness seminars for Non Lawyers. The focus is laid on providing simplified legal content and assistance so that less privileged people are empowered to avoid legal liability as well as getting to know their existing legal rights and how to defend them without worrying about expensive legal fees. .
Healthy Seaweed Co. Limited: ™️ Healthy Seaweed Cafe
Initiative supporting female seaweed farmers who often face disadvanteges due to poor negatiation power, lack of innovation, and relying on the local market. Offering women consistent market with better prices by supporting restorative and regenerative seaweed farming and creating awareness in local communities about health benefits of seaweed.
Himalayan Hemp
Social-ecological community of farmers, innovators, and artisans working to preserve the indigenous varieties of cannabis and hemp plants. Economically viable community practices are used to make eco-conscious products. The cooperative model includes rural women by training them how to make sanitary pads.
Geotek Water Solutions LTD
Community-led initiative addressing water infrastructure dysfunction. Building resilience against water acarcity in sub-saharan Africa and providing monitoring of remote handpump boreholes. This leads to empower the communities to take control of their own water supply.
Gewuza Foundation
Initiaitve, which aims to empower communities to respond to the realities of climate change and be able to achieve resilience livelihoods. Producing school bags out of recycled plastic which are equipped with solar powered lamps. Vulnerable women get employed to produce the school bags.
AILEM
App that aims to provide language education for refugees and asylum seekers to help integrate in a foreign country including slang and local expressions. “Created by refugees for refugees', people can use the app phrases and vocabulary without internet to break down intercultural misunderstanding.
S4S technologies: Science for Society
Food processing company connecting female farmers with food industry as an integrated value chain player. Support through technical assistance, providing linkage to financial institutiona and offering machinery for food processing.
ITF Secretariat: A Water Kiosk at School
Project which provides reliable access to clean water. School-based and student-managed business selling clean tap water at affordable price consisting of financing a community school. The water kiosk includes sustainable products being used for transportation having a positiv impact on children staying longer in school. In addition, the project teaches students entrepreneurial skills.
CareMother: Fetosense
AI based fetal heart monitoring solution by offering pregnancy monitoring products fighting the lack of gynaecologists in rural areas. The start-up aims to reduce infant and maternal mortality. The AI based portable fetal monitor provides auto-analysis, remote fetal monitoring, and, timely consultations.
iLEAD AFRICA: Be The Change Initiative
NGO focusing on empowering vulnerable communities by capacity building and mobilization to enable youth to become active citizens. The goal is to train young people to become advocates for activism and political change, raise awareness, and enable individuals to demand accountability.
Fourth Linie Limited: Project Pamodzi
Project which aims to improve rural livelihood by enhancing community's capacity through training in modern beekeeping technologies. Developing secure and simple financial services by enabling mobile payments and enabling smallholder bee farmers to manage funds. The investment circles are governed decentral making investments transparent and save.
Campaigners for Change International
Initiative which aims to integrate criminal gangs, people with a drug addiction, and young people involved in organized crimes back in society. Providing psychosocial counselling to the people effected by unemployment and marginalization. In addition, leading awareness campaigns against organized crimes and extortion.
Nabet India: Project Vimla
NGO based working for the employment and economic empowerment of the underprivileged and the differently abled in India. The goal is to improve the menstrual health and hygiene. The project Vimla involves people with disabilities in manufacturing, packaging and, distributing sanitary napkins.
We Are Tomorrow: Global Youth Climate Agenda
Youth-led foundation facilitating peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge. It aims to empower youth movements to strengthen regional climate action agendas. The cross-border youth network increases national and international climate action on base of policy recommendations. The policy recommendations are part of COP27 and the goal is to influence decision makers by empowering yougn voices.
Feminismos del Sur
Multilingual podcast echoing decolonial voices from the global south on female resilience and resistance. It aims to recognize these voices and identify their struggles and pains, giving them visibility, fight for gender justice and against violence and abuse.
Afghan Maktab
The online school for Afghan girls is a reaction to the ban of girls from schools introduced by the Taliban. The initiative contacting female teachers is led by young Afghan women. The online platform integrates radio station system that allows streaming accessible in rural areas. Platforms allows the share of knowledge as well as the function to communicate.
Pavulagem
Project which aims to preserve the Amazonian culture through story telling. The podcast project raises awareness by register, catalog, and extend the narratives of Amazonian oral culture. It is fighting the loss of cultural knowledge.
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Engro Foundation
Sustainability programs linking crucial business activities with community empowerment and environment protection. The three programs at the Foundation comprise: Carbon Offsets (increase forest cover across Pakistan while offsetting essential carbon emissions), Circular Plastics (researching, piloting, and investing in plastic waste reduction), Indus River Dolphin Conservation (protecting the endangered species through a multipronged approach).
Sustera: Climate Leadership Program
Project which aims to drive collective action through capacity-building training, campaigns, and policy dialogues to equip communities to adapt better to climate disasters and climate change. Offering three month climate leader program (fully funded) to adjust to local needs as well as support to enable participants to start their own campaigns and projects.
Invicta
Invicta is an award-winning, tech-enabled, career development platform that helps refugees and internally displaced people find opportunities for remote work, skills development, mental health counselling, digital education and entrepreneurship. Our vision is to achieve faster economic growth and poverty reduction, ensuring millions of marginalized and economically disadvantaged refugees have equal opportunities to secure fair wage jobs.
Project Unnati
Youth led NGO working in the space of women empowerment through skill development and livelihood generation with sustainability at its core. The Sustainable Period Care Products is a start-up producing sustainable, reusable menstrual care products as well as baby care products. The products are handmade by a group of women in vulnerable areas of West Bengal (India).
Responsible Technology Hub
Youth and young professionals led initiative focusing on bringing the attention to making technology more responsible. The goal is strengthen the voices of young people and connect stakeholders beyond their silos. In addition, an intergenerational exchange that elevates the voices of young people and allows representatives from industry, academia, policy, and the general public to connect and co-create a human technological society gets forstered.
WWTP Solution
Project which recycls coconut waste as biofilm filter to adress hte environmental issue of wastewater. Providing Wastewater Treatment solutions for floating communities at SaAng in Kandal Province, Cambodia to extand the life cycle of water and improve the living condition.
The Starving Artist
The initiative is designed to bring people together from diverse backgrounds and locations to engage with one another through the creative arts. Thus, art becomes a tool address social and envrionmental issues that can be understood and appreciated by people from all walks of life. Producing publications to bring art to politicians.